Struggling to Remember What I Study and Learn

[The Don]

Hello.

Since I began my journey to personal development I've made some progress. A year has gone by. I'm pretty thankful of my actions.

A problem that I still have is that it's very hard to keep in mind (remember) what I'm studying. I struggle to memorize things. Why is that?

Can I do something about it? How can I become a better learner? Should I study slowly and for longer periods of time?

How about @Leo Gura? I'm always intrigued by his ways of learning, although I don't know them. I just know that Leo is able to talk very well and that he remembers a lot of stuff. How is he doing that?

Is memory a part of our brains that grows once we keep memorizing stuff?

I need to become a better learner and I want to memorize what I'm studying.

[Inliytened1]

@The Don Everyone has different levels of retaining information.  Some people can pull up things they learned about one time 10 years ago and discuss is it as if it were yesterday.

Others may not have this gift and need to go revisit what they have learned every so often to keep it fresh.   

Consciousness as a whole increases and expands, allowing you to grasp more and more things that once were just over your head.    

If anyone has tips on memory techniques that can improve retention and the ability to recall memories on a dime i would be all ears too.

Edited July 21, 2019 by Inliytened1

[OctagonOctopus]

I find making a web of every topic that you are learning about and categorizing all of it helps and contemplation, especially right after you finished learning a topic/ reading a book. Meditation helps clear the mind to obtain new information as well.

[JustThinkingAloud]

I make notes to help me summarise the topic to make more generalised views. It also helps to put it in your own words, make your own connections. I was told that involving all senses helps a lot when trying to memorise (sorry, I don’t remember the source). So writing the notes, reading out loud, doing exercises, visualising how you would apply the new information etc. Repetition works too but it’s much more effective when you emotionally connect to it, eg you enjoy what you’re learning. I wouldn’t memorise too many details, it can clutter the mind.

[pluto]

The more passionate you are about something, the more you will learn and integrate/memorize whatever it is your are studying. 

However, based on my observation, memory is related to your vibrational frequency. Many times i have a induced accelerated/altered state of consciousness, I seem to remember things i had forgotten because i was simply not "seeing" them because i was vibrating too low.

The higher you vibrate, the more timeless memory becomes because you cannot necessarily remember something you realized at a "higher vibrational state" if you are no longer resonating within that frequency/wavelength.

How can you know whats happening on channel 99 when you are tuned to channel 33?

This is why many struggle to retain DMT experiences but if you do the work, lay off the substances for a while and raise your vibration naturally, you will notice after a while you start to realize/integrate and remember everything again.

 

Edited July 22, 2019 by pluto

[Michael569]

21 hours ago, The Don said:

I struggle to memorize things. Why is that?

Make sure you don't force the memory for the purpose of "need to know". I find that in the West people read a lot of stuff just to appear knowledgable in front of peers or to pull out a party-fact her and there. If your subconscious mind knows that this wisdom only serves the ego, you will struggle to remember. 

Having said that, one of the most powerful ways to move short term memory from your hippocampus into long term storage in cerebral cortex is sleep, especially REM sleep. Getting sufficient, undisturbed sleep after you have read something that should be retained will boost your long term memory like nothing else. Depriving yourself of sleep will make a lot of that inaccessible.  

Some a short review just before sleep could be a useful strategy 

[possibilities]

Just my 2 cents.

I've been having a lot of success with the following:

Book title - Memory Improvement: How To Improve Your Memory In Just 30 Days

I work to avoid saying things out of personal conjecture and speculation unlike many others here, I aim for my words to be based on actual practical day to day experience of which the techniques described in this book are.

Practicing on such will not only improve your memory it'll also improve your imagination, creativity and mental toughness depending upon the amount you train and emphasis on divergent thinking in your practice.

[Confal]

Seconding spaced retrieval. Years ago I got really annoyed with forgetting most of the stuff I read, so I researched this subject and discovered spaced repetition. It works like a treat. It's more laborious and time-consuming than just regular reading, but if you choose what information you want to retain carefully, it doesn't consume that much more time and energy. I'd recommend using Anki for creating and working with your notes.

[NoSelfSelf]

Your emotional state while you learning is very important and being in a good state while recalling is also important

[ajasatya]

@The Don Usefulness plays a big role in learning. The brain is very efficient and avoids storing useless data.

[Laz]

For what its worth.I been involved with my own personal development since i was 12 off and on consciously.reading,writing,studying,e tc than eventually giving in to society and saying the hell with self development every few years in a pattern.however,the growth ive had over the past 3 years of taking this serious like never before(im 37 now) is amazing.the difference is i stopped trying to learn things.sure,i keep journals and write notes still.the difference is my notes are all my own actual experiences as it relates to the topic as before my notes would basically be me parroting whatever book or video i was learning from.maybe if you try to stop memorizing theory and instead relate the theory to your life itll become easier to grasp.also,when i pray in the morning i give a summary  of whatever theory i learned the day before and instances where said topic applied in my personal life and that seems to make the information stick on a much deeper level.it reinforces it to me as i say it out loud to the creator.

[Spence94]

Are you interested in the content? Does it have any usefulness and relevance to your life in any way? How absorbed are you in the area of study? How positive is your attitude to learning the thing at hand? What is your attitude toward the thing in general?

I Study Chinese and I find that when I am studying consistently it is easier to remember words and formulate the language. Of course this is simply because I am actually putting in the work but there's something to be said for consistent exposure over time. Huge correlations between interest and the ability to learn also.

From a karmic perspective, certain things seem easier to learn for certain people. Follow what lights you up and you have intuitions for, you will find those avenues will be easier to learn than things you do not have the true pull and disposition for. Somethings in life I just seem to pickup effortlessly whilst overs require a lot more diligent effort if I truly wanted it and i have to implement better strategies to make it more learnable.